The Phoenix Chronicles
by lxcyfilia
Summary: One girl; two ancient enchanted Stones; and a pack of Wolves hungry for blood. Thrown into a fairytale, one lone girl must navigate the waters of turmoil and best an abundance of evil, alongside a noble but dangerous Tribe Leader with a haunted past. [Koga/OC]
1. Little Red Riding Hood

**This is a story I've wanted to write for a while. I've had the plot for this story and its characters designed for a while and since a few of them have already made a cameo in my sister HappyCookiie's fic: _Beyond Tomorrow_ (Arcs One  & Two), I decided it was time to get my head down and make a start with a whole new writing universe.**

 **This fic takes place in an alternate ending after the main series came to a close, meaning the events of _The Final Act_ aren't a part of this universe. This also means things might happen differently, certain characters might act in different ways, and it might change regarding who's dead and who's alive. (Also note that since this is based on the manga universe, let's just say that Ayame doesn't exist for the sake of the plot and considering this is a Koga/OC pairing fic).**

 **Enjoy! Don't forget to follow and review if you liked the first chapter and want to keep up with updates :)**

 ** _Disclaimer:_ I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters.**

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 **The Phoenix Chronicles**

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 **Chapter One - Little Red Riding Hood**

How does one survive in a world where it is you that must make all of the difficult choices in life? In a world where everyone and anyone is depending on you alone. You. The connecting piece. The cement holding the rows of brickwork together. A world where the weight of responsibility sits heavily on one's shoulders.

There are those that could never imagine a world like that, so how are there those that _live_ in it?

Does one give in to that never-ending strain? ... Or does one make oneself _stronger_?

Standing in the middle of nowhere, was a small woodland cottage. There were hardly any towns or larger settlements nearby, but that was why it was the perfect home for three deserted children.

The cottage itself was no masterpiece, but it was good enough to live in. The roof was sturdy and there were two reasonably sized floors, lined with the most essential of rooms. The reason that there were no towns nearby was partly because this cottage was built deep in the heart of thick forest. Tall, almost skeletal trees surrounded the shabby cottage structure, and there was only a small winding path leading down from the font door and into the trees.

"I'm going out! Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone!"

A female's voice echoed from behind the door of the cottage before it opened and a girl the age of eighteen came running out. Her long scarlet red hair was tied back in a yellow ribbon and swung to and fro across her back as she moved. She had plain laced up trainers on and her top and leggings looked quite dull in comparison to her vibrant hair. Her eyes did not share the same vibrance as her hair, big and dark, but they had an air of intelligence about them that made her seem beyond her years. She went by the name: _Tomoyo_ ; blessed with pragmatism and worldly wisdom.

Since she had been living in the wood for two whole years now, she had mesmerised the route perfectly. Every day she ran through the forest as a means of exercise, but had never come across anything to prove that others were also living there as well.

That was, until _that_ fateful day.

She turned the corner and was brought to an immediate halt because of what she saw. Had she taken a wrong turn? But how could she have? She had explored the whole forest before and never ever seen ... _another_ cottage.

Intrigued and bewildered, she creeped towards the unfamiliar forest cottage and studied its external appearance. It looked relatively ordinary so she took a step closer and peered through one of the windows on the front. Inside had a similar layout to her own cottage, only the table was filled with sweets, chocolate and various other yummy treats. Apart from that though, there appeared to be no one there, nor was there anything particularly peculiar to be seen.

Thinking nothing more of it, she planned to continue her way until—

"HELP!"

Tomoyo stopped and the noise sounded again. It was the scream of an _old woman_ , coming from the cottage she'd never seen before. She turned around and in front of her suddenly was an elderly woman, with quite generically hideous features such as a crooked nose, crusty warts sprouting hairs, and thin knotty locks.

"Oh, my goodness!" the woman cried, "I thought nobody would ever come and save me!"

She began to walk quickly towards Tomoyo, grabbing her shoulders harshly.

"Please help me," she went on, "I'm begging you!"

Tomoyo nodded, alarmed, "What's the problem?"

"It—It's my oven. I can't turn it off. I've hurt my back and now I can't reach the dials! Please, will you come inside and turn it off for me, lass?"

Tomoyo blinked and nodded again, taken aback by how simple the 'catastrophe' was, and followed the old woman into the odd cottage. She could see billows of grey smoke pouring out from the oven once inside, and she rushed towards it to fan at the dark clouds with a cloth. She then kneeled and looked at the dials, coughing violently, and was relieved to find that it was the same oven she had back at her home.

"Is it the main oven or the grill?" she choked, too swallowed by smoke to even try turning around to look at the old woman.

"Yes, it's the main oven! But oh, dear I almost forgot! Could you get out my cake? It's in there I'm afraid."

Tomoyo stared into to the main section of the oven and wondered if the cake would even be edible after all the smoke and burning it had endured. "Um, I'm sorry," she started, "But there's nothing in here? Are you sure you—"

"There will be soon!"

The old lady shrieked ecstatically and grabbed Tomoyo's head, then started trying to push _her_ into the oven!

 _What the hell!?_

She could feel the heat of the flames burning against her face, and coughed violently under the constant spray of thick smoke.

There was nothing wrong with the woman's back, but there was definitely something wrong with her mind!

Spluttering, Tomoyo jolted and grabbed the old woman's arms and started pushing them backwards. Thankfully, she was much stronger than the old woman, thus they fell backwards onto the table lined with treats and goodies. The table split and fell, chocolates spilling everywhere and making it hard to manoeuvre around properly. Still, Tomoyo jumped up and looked around the cottage frantically. Where could she possibly hide before the hag emerged from the pile of sweets and cookies!?

When the woman began to pick herself up, Tomoyo decided to leg it for the nearby wardrobe.

She jumped in and shut the doors, trying not to make a sound, but the woman just got closer and closer to the wardrobe. Every step she took forward, Tomoyo took back. It got to the point where she could step back no further, and she accidentally triggered a loud creak that confirmed her hiding position.

"Heheheh. I knew you were in there, girl. Why don't you come out and have a cake?"

Finally, she tore the wardrobe doors open violently...

But there was nobody in there.

"What...?" the old woman hummed, "...Hmm. It must have been a mouse." She slammed the doors shut in frustration and continued searching the house for her elusive victim.

But where _was_ Tomoyo? Where was the girl with the vivid red hair? Had she hidden herself away elsewhere? Had she tricked the old woman with her wit? ...

Or was she in a different place entirely?

Something soft and cold drifted on Tomoyo's rosy cheek and lay resting there. It was small and wet, and seemed to vanish away the second it touched the warmth of her face.

Her eyelashes fluttered she opened her eyes, and was welcomed by the sight of an empty wardrobe. _That's strange_ , she frowned. _I could've sworn that the wardrobe I hid in was full of a load of crap._ So why was the one she was in now somehow completely empty?

She sat up and looked around the small compartment. The door was open slightly so she could see that it was bright outside. Unnaturally bright, a vast white light shining through the thin crack.

Slowly, she pushed the twin wooden doors open.

She gasped. What in the world was she seeing? Someone had to be messing with her because she was still in a forest... but it was _snowing_! And not just lightly snowing either. The ground was coated with white and the leaves had long fallen from the dark bony branches. It was certainly too vast of a change to have occurred during the short time she'd been in the old woman's cottage!

Turning around slowly and taking in her surroundings with wide spooked eyes, she shivered. Not entirely because of the cold, but it was very, _very_ freezing wherever the heck she'd ended up.

How had she gotten there? The wardrobe she'd entered in was in the creepy old woman's house. Not a snowy wonderland!

"This is very funny!" she shouted, hoping whoever was playing this huge joke—though what a strange and dramatic joke it was—would show themselves and own up. Was it Ren? It was probably Ren.

Silence answered her.

"Ren? Yuki? Come out now and tell me how you did all this!"

When the silence only stretched, she grew frustrated. She hated practical jokes and she hated them even more when the trickster failed to own up to their actions. She scowled and kicked some snow with her foot.

"This is your only chance!" she called, sighing desperately.

Receiving no answer once more, she leaned down and scooped up some of the fake snow into her palms, watching it slip through the cracks between her fingers like cold, glittering sand. Only it wasn't fake snow like she'd thought it would be. It was completely real, down to the coldness and how it melted at the warmth of her touch. She scooped up some more and rubbed it in her fingers.

 _What is going on?_

Dragging her feet through the heavy snow, she started walking. There was no point in standing stupidly at the wardrobe. The path felt endless. So, endless that she must have been walking for at least a few hours before coming across anything other than snow and forest. Which was the way back to her cottage? The path was covered and she didn't recognise the surroundings at all. It was as if she was in a completely different forest. _Her_ forest couldn't have simply vanished though. There had to be an explanation.

Perhaps she'd find said explanation later because she could feel a cold coming on. Her arms had goose bumps and her legs were freezing, not to mention her nose was starting to run because of the harsh freezing air. She would have to find shelter soon if she couldn't locate her cottage.

She started running. Even if it had been a messed up joke she had _had_ it now. Ren had taken it too far this time, even if he was constantly under the strong influence of rum or whiskey (or sometimes both). Maybe she should just cut his supply. That would teach him. But it would probably just enrage him and lead him to do something even more terrible than playing elaborate ridiculous jokes on her. Maybe it was best that she didn't try to hide his bottles.

There was a sudden dip in the path that Tomoyo didn't notice until she had fallen into a hole of sorts. _Brilliant_. First a snowy woodland that made her lose her way, and now a pit in the middle of nowhere. She tried to pull herself up out of the hole, but hours of walking in the snow wasn't good for a person's health, therefore her strength was highly diminished. She frowned deeply and sat on the ground of the pit, thankful that it was at least drier and less snowy than the turf above.

Despite the situation, Tomoyo saw no problem with having a little rest for no more than a few minutes at least. After those minutes passed and she found that she couldn't get up even after a few minutes, she laid there a little longer.

It had been a bad idea.

Mere moments later, she drifted off into a state of unconsciousness. After walking for so long in the cold, her limbs had ceased to work and her eyelids had glided to a close. It didn't help that she was wearing her workout clothes that were made from thin material and revealed a lot of her shoulders and arms. From the walking and the cold and the encounter with the sinister old woman, Tomoyo was just exhausted, so she didn't try to fight the sleep that washed over her in the pit of the hole.

In the dreamy mist of sleep, she thought she felt a pair of _arms_ wind around her and lift her up out of the pit. They held her against their warm chest and she felt a heart beating against her ear even in her lack of awareness.

Had someone come to rescue her? Had Ren realised the foolhardiness of his pranks? Or was it something far, _far_ more fantastic?

"You seriously think ya can get away from me, pathetic human?"

A man's rough voice echoed throughout the forest amongst an abundance of frightened screams. There was another man further up—a human—shrieking and pleading for mercy from whomever was giving chase.

The man chasing him, if he could be called a man at all, for he was a _youkai_ , had sharp canines and wicked eyes. He wore tawny brown fur all over his body and his movements gave him the impression of a _wolf_ hiding in a man's _skin_ , rather than an actual man. He gave a devilish grin and ran with the wind, along with his two other youkai companions.

It didn't take them long to catch the man they were pursuing, and the youkai leader picked him up by his haori and sniffed his neck.

"So," he proclaimed, "What d'ya think, guys? Think he's good enough to eat or nah?"

The man started sobbing messily and the other two youkai nodded eagerly. "NO!" he screamed, "Please, demon! Let me go! I have a wife and two children! They won't survive the winter without me—"

"And I should care, because?"

The head Wolf Youkai threw the man onto the crisp white ground and flexed his claws. His eyes flashed red for a second before he snarled, lunging forward, and the man's screams were soon no more than short choked cries...

The once beautiful white snow was now covered in blood like paint on a canvas.

The Wolves grinned with their ruby sparkling teeth and darted through the trees on their way, laughing and howling as they ran. There was an air of darkness about the one leading, however, and that darkness had taken root in his bones and mutated him into something ... _malicious_.

"That was a truly delicious meal, Koga!" one of his followers praised, "But I'm still not completely filled up!"

Koga flashed a deadly scarlet smile.

"We're never full," he laughed, "Let's just hope there's some more delicious meals to come soon!"

With more laughing, they were gone in a flash. Eventually Koga could see their cave coming into view up ahead, and felt somewhat annoyed that they hadn't come across any more humans on their way back. It wasn't something they'd done for a while; feasted on human flesh. They'd forged a friendship with a human girl, _Kagome_ , and she'd changed their minds on the matter.

But none of that was important anymore. _None_ of it.

Koga paused suddenly, stopping in his tracks.

"What the hell is _that_?"

The three Wolves looked down, and at a first glance, the thing they were looking at looked almost like a red blob of some kind. Too solid to be a puddle of blood, but resembling no plant or animal any of them had ever seen before.

One of his followers, Hakkaku, grabbed the bizarre object and pulled it closer to them.

"... It's a human!" he cried excitedly after close inspection, his face like the look a child would wear on receiving a new teddy bear... or a plate of delicious _meat_.

The second Wolf, Ginta's eyes widened and he shifted closer to take a look. "A human woman," he added, "They're always the most mouth-watering."

Koga grabbed the human by her oddly coloured hair and brought her up closer to his face. She was sleeping, thus didn't cry or cower in their presence, but there was something about her face that unnerved him. Like he was holding a ghost by its silver flame and it was staring up at him with deep probing eyes. The innocence and natural trust in her sleeping face reminded him of another human girl he'd known, and he repressed a shudder in front of his companions because of the memory.

It didn't matter anymore, he reminded himself.

It didn't _matter_.

"Come on, guys," he said, pulling out of his dark thoughts, "Let's take her back to the cave. Food never tastes any good when it's frozen."

Ginta and Hakkaku cheered merrily and Koga picked her up, not gently, and held her to his chest. His mouth curved into a terrible frown and he headed towards their cave, teeth grinding and head swarming with memories he'd rather forget.

 _It doesn't matter. It doesn't ... matter._

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 **Review! :D**


	2. Hide and Seek

**Chapter Two - Hide And Seek**

With friends, do you live a better life? Or a worse one? Who knows? But there has to be more to life than having to do everything alone, doesn't there?

 _... What is that?_

Tomoyo's eyes flickered slightly. There was something resting on her chest and breathing onto her collarbone.

She opened her eyes slowly and blinked a few times.

 _What the hell?! Is... Is that a dog?!_

Tomoyo pulled herself together and tried to sit up, but the canine was way too heavy for her to lift off. Maybe she should try a more gentle approach.

She lifted her hand, making sure not to get it anywhere near the creature's mouth. She expected it to try and bite her, but it just crouched over her with its paws resting on her chest. Wary, Tomoyo carefully placed her hand on the canine's head and gave it a gentle caress.

 _Am I doomed? It this thing gonna eat me? Oh god, what do I do?_

She suddenly felt something damp against her cheek and realised that the once snarling, terrifying beast had laid down its head on her breast. It was sort of... cute. She continued stroking it, scanning the area at the same time. She was in a cave, but how did she get there? The last thing she remembered was lying in the snow, so how did she suddenly end up in a cave?

"Heh. So you've tamed one of my wolves, huh?"

 _Who was that?_

Tomoyo's eyes followed the voice until they fell upon a man. A very strange looking man. She squinted and moved slightly towards him. It was definitely a man, but what the hell was he wearing? He had... pelts of fur and armour strapped across his body. And was he wearing a skirt!?

She blinked. He had a tail! Was this some kind of cosplayer?

She backed away slightly.

He came out from the shadows and tilted his face so that the light cascaded onto it. Tomoyo couldn't have possibly known it, but this man was Koga, leader of the Eastern Wolf Pack and the most dangerous youkai of those plains.

He grinned.

"What's this? You seem quite terrified of me."

She frowned fiercely as he snatched her up by her shirt. He grabbed her chin and his sharp claws dug into her flesh. He brought his face down so it was practically touching hers, and gave a low snarl. She pushed him away roughly, causing herself to fall back onto the hard ground.

"Ouch," she whimpered, holding her side throbbing, "That's gonna leave a bruise."

She sighed and stood up, looking Koga in the eyes. She was slightly amused by his strange appearance, however, he was quite well-built and his face wasn't half bad to look at. Sure he was extremely frightening and... well, animalistic, he was attractive in a rugged handsome way.

He smirked and let out a chuckle.

She creased her brows and put her hands on her hips. "So. You." She looked him up and down. "You must be the one whose pulling all these stupid tricks on me."

Koga shifted closer towards her. He stared at her for a while, before opening his mouth and adverting her accusation by asking...

"So are you another one of the human village whores that've been wandering out into our territory?"

"What?" she blinked, "Human...?"

Had he just called her a whore!?

And her lid snapped.

"YOU ABSOLUTE ASS! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A WHORE! WHAT WOULD EVEN GIVE YOU THAT IMPRESSION—"

"Hey, I've heard that prostitution is a common and decent money making job, not that I have any need for something like money, but why else would ya be dressed like that?"

"DRESSED LIKE WHAT!?"

Seemingly bored with her outburst, Koga lifted his finger in a rather patronising manner and and held it up to her lips.

"Shh." he hissed.

 _Pretentious beast!_

Tomoyo cursed him under her breath and then bit his finger. He jumped back immediately, shocked that she even dared to touch him.

She shuddered momentarily.

 _Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. He looks like he's going to explode!_

She backed away, feeling a slight chill run down her spine as those cold, dark eyes of his wouldn't leave her own. It was unnerving and annoying her.

"Will—Will you stop staring at me!" She turned her head away from him.

"Heh. Foolish mortal. You're the one that's dressed up, or should I say dressed down, like a human 'courtesan', if that's less offensive of a slur to you."

He stood up and grinned at her in a way she didn't feel comfortable with. It made her blood boil.

 _Right. That is enough! Let's see him think a whore can do this! Misogynistic low-life!_

She leapt up and tried to strike him by kicking him in the face, but he somehow dodged her attack, leaving her slightly unbalanced.

"You're really damn irritating for just a walking meal."

 _Alright_ , _no_ _more_ _mister_ _nice_ _guy!_

Tomoyo took a moment to breathe before throwing her next punch.

Koga sighed, "Why are humans so annoying and rash?"

She threw her bare hands at him, hoping that she wasn't going to make a fool of herself by missing. He rolled his eyes as he clenched the girl's fists tightly. She squirmed and tried to pull herself out of his grasp, and he sniggered and pinned her to the floor, digging his sharp nails into her weak flesh.

"GET OFF!" she shrieked, "And trim your nails too! Ever heard of having a manicure? They're like knives!"

During this, Koga found he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Why was she still fighting back? Why wasn't she crying out in pain or screaming for help? She was most definitely human; there wasn't a single trace of demon coming from her, yet she displayed no fear.

The image of a girl came to mind then. Another girl with raven hair and dark eyes that blazed with defiance and rage as she refused to be his.

He froze.

"KOGA!"

A voice from outside screamed for him, and there was an anger in the voice. What was wrong? Koga shifted his gaze to the exit of the cave. "Can't you guys handle a couple of weak-ass demons?"

He stood up, Tomoyo's hands still locked in his. He dragged her to the exit of the cave and threw her to the ground. He then turned around and addressed Ginta and Hakkaku.

"What is it, guys?"

 _He's gone. Time to escape!_

She leapt up, not caring that one of her wrists was bleeding. Hastily, she peered around the corner, trying to get a clear view of what was happening outside. A bit further ahead where the three men, one of them being Koga, and the other two wearing similar fur outfits to him.

 _Great_. _More_ _furries._

"What do you want, Ginta?" Koga grumbled, frustrated that the two annoying men had interrupted his meal time.

"Kogaaa," Ginta moaned, "When can we eat the human woman? We're starving!"

Koga frowned and folded his arms.

 _Good_ _god!_ Tomoyo thought. _They're_ _cannibals_! _They're_ _gonna_ _try_ _and_ _eat_ _me_! _Crap_!

She looked around, checking that no one was watching. Immediately after that, she legged it out of the cave, heading far away from the furry freaks.

Back at the cave, Koga chuckled when he entered. So she'd escaped, had she? He knew from far outside the cave that the girl wasn't there. He could smell her blood.

"All right, boys. Seems we're going on a hunt!"

They grinned in response and started running after their leader.

 _Game_ _on_. Koga thought, following the girl's scent and the smell of blood.

Her fate had now been sealed...


	3. Good and Evil

**Caliope07 : In answer to the question in your review, this fic is an alternate ending to the story, meaning it's set somewhere after the main series ended. _The Final Act_ doesn't exist in this timeline so nothing in that arc has happened. Thanks so much for your kind review! :)**

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 **Chapter Three - Good and Evil**

In life there is always hope, no matter how absent it feels. What inspires hope in you? Or rather, who?

She couldn't stop running. Not even for a second. Tomoyo's legs felt like they were going to rip off, but she couldn't give up now. There was obviously something wrong with those three wolf cosplayers, aside from the fact that they owned real wolves.

Her throat was starting to dry up.

Where was everyone? Where was she?

 _This has to be a dream_ , Tomoyo thought as she turned around a corner, barely dodging a pointy branch. _There's no other explanation._

She was brought to an immediate halt when she came across footprints in the snow. That was proof that someone had been there.

 _Calm down, Tomoyo. It's not real. You'll wake up soon._

She inhaled the cold air and started running again. What was that? Up ahead, there was the silhouette of a person.

 _Thank god!_

Tomoyo let out a sigh of relief as her run turned into a slow jog.

"Um, excuse me?" She shouted, lifting up her hand to try and get the person's attention.

There was no reply.

 _Well, how rude._

She walked a bit further but soon regretted it as she took in the person's appearance. There were two horns sticking out on either side of its head and it was gigantic, probably around five times bigger than her.

"O-oh my g-" Tomoyo stuttered as she stared up into the devilish red eyes of a gigantic troll-looking creature. "Maybe I should've stuck with the wolf boys."

The creature swung his fists down, barely missing Tomoyo. She screamed hysterically and tried to run away.

Lurking behind the trees, Koga watched in amusement at the sight before him. He knew that she wouldn't be able to keep dodging the Oni's attacks for much longer. He was right, because after a few minutes she was panting heavily and sweat dripped down her forehead.

 _Heh, maybe I should help the redhead_ , he thought.

He was just about to step out from his hiding spot when the Oni opened his large mouth, revealing razor sharp teeth, and lunged at Tomoyo. She didn't have enough energy to dodge the attack, so she quickly used her arms to shield her face and her eyes squeezed shut...

Silence.

Nothing had happened. No loud crunch. Had she finally woken up from this disastrous dream?

Tomoyo slowly opened her eyes, hoping she would be greeted by her tiny room in her cosy cottage, but to her dismay, she was still in the strange place but at least she wasn't dead. However, now she had to deal with the _man_ stood in front of her. The aggressive wolf guy from before, was holding the creature off with his bare hands. Her eyes widened as she watched him muster all of his strength and throw the large creature against a tree.

"Are you gonna sit there starin' at me in awe all day or are you gonna come back to my cave?" he grinned as he spoke, stretching his arm out and wrapping it around Tomoyo's shoulders.

Her brows furrowed angrily and she stood up, brushing the dirt off herself. "The only thing I want to do," she began, walking away, "is get away from you."

She held her head up high, threw her hair over her shoulder and started trudging through the heavy snow.

"I wouldn't go that way," Koga shouted, "You'll probably bump into more Oni."

She sighed and realised that she hadn't eaten or slept in a long time. The sun had gone down hours ago and it was now pitch black. She figured if this was a dream, then he couldn't really do any real damage to her.

 _Screw it.  
_

"What's that around your neck?" Koga questioned, eyes locked on the small red gem hanging from Tomoyo's neck.

She looked down and grasped it tightly in her hand.

"It's... an antique. My grandfather gave it me. Why do you care?"

In a split second Koga was in front of the her. He looked furious but there was a hint of remorse in his eyes. His long, tanned arm stretched out and grabbed the stone.

"Hey! Let go!" she yelled and tried to force him to let go of the delicate gem...

But the stone had burned him.

Koga looked down angrily at his charred hand.

"How did you do that?" he asked, his face held down.

 _He looks kinda sad_ , Tomoyo thought and shuffled backwards a bit.

"I didn't do anything," she replied, "It's never done something like that before."

Her mind suddenly flashed back to a moment when her and grandfather gave her the stone.

 ***Flashback***

 _"Grandfather? What's this?"_

 _Tomoyo looked down into her grandfather's hands where a small, red stone lay._

 _"This, my dear, is the ancient Fire Stone that has been passed down through this family for generations. My father gave this to me, and now I'm giving it you. Promise me you will take care of it."_

 _He took her hands and carefully handed her the stone._

 _"Okay!" she smiled excitedly, and held it close to her chest. "I'm going to find some leather so I can hang it around my neck."_

 _She jumped up and skipped into the other room._

 _Her grandfather shouted out to her, "If you ever come across a demon or something of evil intent, the stone will reject it and burn the creature."_

 _She poked her head around the corner. "What was that?"_

 _"Oh, nothing. Here, I'll help you with the necklace."_

 ***End of flashback***

 _This has got to be a dream. I'm definitely dreaming. Why am I having messed up dreams about wolf cosplayers and trolls?_

"You!"

Tomoyo was snapped out of her train of thought as she realised that she was being slung over the man's shoulder and carried away.

"Hey! Let go of me!" she shrieked in his ear.

"I would prefer it if you didn't scream in my ear."

She puffed out her cheeks and she crossed her arms angrily.

 _I should probably run away, but I'm so tired. And this is only a dream, so I'll be fine. I'll wake up soon. I will._

 _I have to._


	4. Scriptures

**Chapter Four - Scriptures**

 _What's this? Something heavy... and wet. I can't move, it's weighing me down... like.._

Tomoyo's eyes shot open as she angrily glared at the large wolf from before that was laid across her stomach and chest.

"You've got to be kidding me," she grumbled underneath her breath.

"Hi, gorgeous," that gruff and snarky voice drawled from the other side of the cave.

 _Is it just me?_ she wondered _, or am I feeling a bit of deja vu here?_

She pushed herself up on her elbows and shoved the sleeping, drooling creature off of her chest.

"Hey, there!" Ginta yelled excitedly and she shrieked.

"EEK!" she screamed and scooted as far away from him.

"Geez, I was only saying hi." he pouted like a little child who hadn't gotten the teddy bear he had desperately wanted.

"Calm down, Ginta," Koga ordered, "This courtesan is probably used to people being more seductive than friendly." He smirked and leaned back against a small boulder.

"Good one," Tomoyo shot back, "Bet it took you hours to think of that joke."

He quirked his eyebrow. "You're an extremely annoying girl, I must admit."

Her brow creased.

"Koga..." Ginta whispered, "I thought the only reason we haven't eaten her yet was because she has the Fire Stone, not because you wanted to flirt with her?"

 _Flirt!?_

"WE ARE NOT FLIRTING!" Koga and Tomoyo both screeched. "WHY ARE YOU COPYING ME!" they shouted in unison once again, "NO! WHY ARE YOU MIMICKING _ME?!_ "

 _"_ Can you stop doing that, it's kinda creepy." Ginta winced.

"No, YOU!" they screamed once more.

Another figure strolled into the room then, his hands laced together at the back of his head. "Whatcha all yelling at?" he asked as he picked something out of his ear with his long fingernail.

 _Eww_ , she scowled, scrunching up her nose.

"Anyway," Koga diverted, completely ignoring the white-haired male whose hair was spiked up in every possible direction, "Tell us everything that you know, human, or... we'll kill you. _"_

 _Really, the standard 'I'll kill you' threat? Pftt._

 _"_ Nope." she said.

The trio just sat there bemused.

"No... You don't wanna do that," Hakkaku warned.

"He's right," Ginta nodded, "Koga's angry enough as it is, you should just tell him everything you know and he might let you live."

Koga simply sat there, a neutral expression on his face.

Tomoyo raised her eyebrow, amused. "Really? I think you're all bark and no bite."

Koga rose up slowly from where he was sat, his expressionless mask still in place. She gulped. Every step he took towards her, sweat dripped down her forehead. This guy was seriously scary! Maybe he had a little bite in him after all.

He was on her in a matter of seconds and shoved her into the ground.

"Oi!" she gasped, kicking her legs trying to escape from his grasp.

 _Oh my god. I can't look at his nails. How come they're longer than mine? They look like frickin' claws!_

Koga beckoned one of his wolves, and Tomoyo sat there in confusion as the creature stalked towards them.

"C'mere, buddy." He held the wolf's face in his hands and nuzzled their noses together. "This human here isn't tellin' me what I need to know, so can ya do me a solid, pal?"

The creature looked extremely happy for some reason, which alarmed her.

"Good boy." he grinned.

Abruptly, the wolf put its paws on either side of your face and began... _licking_ her face.

"Eek!" she shrieked, "Stop! That tickles!" She giggled and tried to pull away from the wolf.

A few minutes later, she finally gave in.

"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you." she threw her hands up in the air in defeat.

 _This is only a dream anyway... right?_

She sat more comfortably and the others did as well. They sat before her and she explained everything.

"Okay, here goes. I'm a descendant from the Phoenix Clan, and the title of the Phoenix Priestess was passed down to me. The Fire Stone has been handed down through our family for generations, and my grandfather gave it me before he died. It apparently has the power to heal any injury or destroy anything unholy or evil. I never really believed that old story, but I used to love it when I was younger."

The Fire Stone and Phoenixes are connected because the stone is supposedly the heart of the very first Phoenix. The story is the Phoenix fell in love with a Wyvern, and their hearts crystallised because of their forbidden love. The Phoenix's being the Fire Stone, and the Wyvern's, the Dark Stone, which was lost. It's said in the scriptures that someone of the Avalon clan will find the Dark Stone and reunite the two stones. And that's it."

Hakkaku rubbed his chin after listening to the story. "So, how does Kagome-onee fit into all of this?"

Tomoyo's eyes widened.

"Sorry, did you just say... Kagome?"

* * *

 **Does Tomoyo know Kagome? Don't forget to review!**


	5. Blood and Mystery

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while and that this chapter is so short! More is on the way. Thanks for the kind reviews! Please to continue to do so :D**

* * *

 **Chapter Five - Blood And Mystery**

"Sorry, did you just say... Kagome?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Koga hissed, anger clear in his voice.

"It's just, I had a—"

She was interrupted by a massive explosion from the entrance of the cave. Ginta and Hakkaku screamed in unison.

"What the hell?!" Koga yelled and ran in the direction of the sound.

Tomoyo rushed after him. "What is it?!"

"Kiyohime," he spat.

"Kiyohime?"

He ignored her and called out to his comrades, "Ginta! Hakkaku! It's the Kiyohime. Get ready for some serious trouble!"

Tomoyo spotted the silhouette of a woman outside that was moving.

She was truly beautiful, with dusky blue eyes and sharp chiselled cheekbones. Her lips were plump and perfect red, and her midnight locks partially covered her perfect face. Tomoyo stared at her, spellbound, and sucked in a terse breath.

"Koga?" she asked cautiously, "Who is that woman?"

"That ain't no woman! What you see is just a glamour! It's really a monster that's been after us for a long time! Looks like she's finally found us."

In a matter of seconds, the woman was inside the cave and standing beside Tomoyo. The beautiful glamour melted away to reveal sickly pale skin and knotted wild hair. Her lips curled back over her razor-sharp teeth in a snarl, but even that wasn't the most terrifying part.

The most frightening aspect about her were the two black chasms in the places that her eyes should be.

Tomoyo shrieked and jumped back. The creature lurched forwards and as she did her nails grew into long talons. They glowed a bright purple and Tomoyo squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the painful impact.

 _Slice!_

Tomoyo slowly opened her eyes. Standing in front of her was...

"Hakkaku?!"

He fell to the ground in a heap, the sound of his body hitting the ground splitting through her ears with the crumple.

 _What? What?_

"HAKKAKU!" Ginta screamed and darted towards his fallen friend. He kneeled beside him and studied his wounds.

There was a huge gash across his stomach.

 _Not good._

"Why did he...?" she breathed, voice slightly cracking.

She dropped to the ground beside the injured wolf. "Hakkaku," she whispered, "Stay with me." She grasped his hand tightly and felt tears forming in her eyes.

Slowly, Hakkaku opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"I did it..." he choked, "Because you remind me... of her. And she... was good and kind—"

He spat out a huge mouthful of blood and clutched at his wound.

Koga was frozen. There was only one word to describe how he felt right now...

Fear.

Was he going to lose another one of his friends? He couldn't!

"KIYOHIME!" he shouted and ran towards the beast.

Her mouth curved into a hideous smile and she outstretched her hands. A blinding light shot out from them and blasted Koga. He was thrown back against the cavern wall, and collapsed onto his back.

"Koga!" Ginta shouted frantically.

Koga tried to stand up but his back had received a deadly injury, and caused him to cry out in pain.

"You... bastard," he snarled, eyes bleeding red.

"I don't understand what's happening," Tomoyo said as she stood and walked slowly towards the Kiyohime, "But... you're going to have to leave now."

 _Okay calm down, Tomoyo. This is just a really, really realistic dream. This woman can't hurt me. I'll wake up soon. I bet this is one of those dreams where you die and then wake up. Right?_

"Filthy human!" the Kiyohime screeched, "Stay in the dirt where you belong!

She held her hand out in front of her again and screamed, " _DIE_!"

"Why is everyone treating me like a piece of crap? " Tomoyo muttered and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the attack _..._

But I never came.

She opened her eyes and looked around.

Koga and Ginta were just sitting there on the cave floor, their eyes wide. Hakkaku was still unconscious, and the Kiyohime was... woah.

The creature was sprawled out on the floor, dead, bruises and scratches covering its body. It's mouth was hanging open as if in a permanent scream, and Tomoyo's blinked slowly as she surveyed the corpse.

"What the hell?" Koga barked as he clambered to his feet, groaning.

"... What?" Tomoyo breathed, confused.

Ginta scratched his head. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?!"

"How the hell did you kill that Kiyohime?!" Koga yelled, pointing at the corpse accusingly.

What?

"Me?"

 _Cough! Cough!_

Hakkaku had regained consciousness and was coughing vigorously.

"Hakkaku!" Ginta shouted, overjoyed, "Are you okay?!"

"Not... really," Hakkaku mumbled a small grin, then frowned. "Where'd the Kiyohime go?"

"The girl!" Ginta pointed to Tomoyo, "She destroyed it!"

Tomoyo felt like her eyes were going to bulge out of her head.

 _I destroyed it? What is he talking about?! ... I just wanna go home._

* * *

 **How did she do that? I guess you'll have to wait and see ;)**


	6. Weakness and Protection

**Thank you all so much for the reviews they were so great! I love you all so much and I hope you continue enjoying the story :)**

 **Don't forget to keep reviewing!**

* * *

 **Chapter Six - Weakness And Protection**

"What are you all talking about?!" Tomoyo shouted deliriously, "Me?! Defeating a freaky, deranged monster with no weapons and just my bare hands?! Are you _delusional_?! If I had done it I would definitely know!"

"And I'm telling _you_ ," Koga rebuked, "That I know what I saw!"

"And what exactly was that?!"

"You held up your arms in front of your face and right when the Kiyohime tried to attack, red light shot out of your hands!"

"You're lying!"

They stared at each other heatedly, scowling ferociously with him growling quietly in the back of this throat.

Ginta stepped in and tried to reason with them. "G—Guys?" he stammered, "Why don't we all try and calm down and—"

Tomoyo interrupted him, "The whole time I've been here you've acted like I'm some stupid little pest, but now you're saying I can make explosions shoot out of my hands?! Are you a damn idiot?!"

"Don't call me an idiot! You're a damn bitch!"

Angry tears threatened to spill from her eyes and she clenched her fists.

"I'm weak!" she screamed, "I've never been strong in my entire life and I never will be! I...!"

And that was the last straw for Tomoyo. She burst into tears and sunk to her knees, covering her face with her hands. Koga blinked rapidly, surprised at her unexpected development. Ginta and Hakkaku mumbled something under their breaths that sounded awfully disrespectful to Koga, and Tomoyo continued crying.

"I just wanna go home and see my family again," she sobbed, and then realised her humiliating situation

 _What am I doing? Crying like a baby when someone just had his stomach sliced open and is probably going to bleed to death? Pull yourself together, girl._

She wiped away her tears away and staggered to her feet, breathing deeply.

 _It's time to show them how strong you really are._

She knelt beside Hakkaku and pulled the firestone from around her neck, then held it just above his wound. As she did, she chanted rhythmically.

"Oh, God of Flames, come to me and lend me your power. Ancestors, heal the one who has been fatally wounded by those who walk the path of darkness... Release!"

The stone turned blood red and light burst out of it like flames, filling the cave. Koga and the others were perfect she'd back by the intense power and they stared at her, stunned. Her eyes became hollow pits of black and her hair whipped about frantically violently in the winds that were being generated.

"What's happening?!" Koga yelled over the chaos.

Ginta and Hakkaku's faces were slapped with shock and terror.

Slowly, the light dispersed and Tomoyo's hair floated back down to her shoulders. Her eyes returned to their normal and the magic stone slowly hovered back down to her hands. She wound it around her neck again and tucked it into her shirt.

"What... happened?" Ginta began but was interrupted by a shocked groan.

"What the hell!" Hakkaku shouted and reached down to touch his stomach...

There was no wound.

No cut. Nothing. The injury was completely gone. There wasn't even a scar left to mar his tanned flesh.

"How the hell did ya do that?" Koga demanded and stalked towards Tomoyo.

But Hakkaku leapt to his feet, pushed Koga out of the way, and wrapped Tomoyo in a tight embrace. "Thank you!" he beamed, "Thank you for saving me."

"Your welcome," she smiled as he released her.

 _At least someone has manners._

" _Ahem_ ," Koga coughed, crossing his arms. "In exchange for saving my friend's life, I have decided not to eat you."

"Gee, thanks," she mumbled under her breath. How awfully kind and generous of him.

"And," he added, "Since it's already dark you may as well stay the night. There's tons of things roaming about out there that would love to gobble you down as a snack."

Moving to walk out of the cave, she feigned thought. "Ummm... Sorry, but I really want to go home now. But thanks. For the offer..." She began making her way out but was stopped by a hand around her wrist.

"I insist," he pressed.

He seemed oddly insistent on the matter.

 _He's obviously used to getting his own way. But who in their right mind would willingly sleep in a wet and stinky cave?_

"Yeah!" Ginta and Hakkaku screamed in unison and ran to crush her in a bear hug.

"You can have my bed!" Ginta offered, but Hakkaku yelled, "No! Mine!"

"Umm," she wriggled in their grasps, "I really need to get back."

She tried to shift out of the hug but failed miserably. Sighing, she let them play tug of war over her for a while before ending up sleeping in between them in a bundle of furs. Their limbs were sprawled out and around her and the cave was filled with loud snores. They remind her of a pair of puppies rather than wolves.

Her eyes wandered in the dark in search for Koga, but he was nowhere to be seen.

 _Just go to sleep,_ she willed herself. _Then maybe when you wake up, the dream will finally be over._

As fell unconscious, she thought of the happy times she'd had with her family. Her parents, her siblings, her grandfather... Back before it all went so wrong. Were those times over? Was there only sadness left? She felt tears building in the backs of her eyes before she fell into deep, vivid dreams.

 _"Come on, Mommy! Let's go!"_

 _A little girl with hair the colour of fire darted out of a small house that was situated beside the ocean. She was barefoot and her stripy sundress whirled as she did. She wore a huge straw hat on top of her head, that kept falling down over her eyes._

 _"Let's go play on the beach!" she yelled giddily._

 _"One minute, honey!" her mother called from upstairs._

 _The little girl stared down the winding slope that led to the beach and jumped up and down. Seagulls screamed high in the air and a warm breeze tickled the parts of her skin that were exposed to the elements._

 _"Mommy,_ hurry _!"_

 _She was growing inpatient, so she leaned down and picked up some pebbles to try and entertain herself. Throwing them as far as she could down the path, her eyes sparkled as they came to rest on the vast stretch of blue on the horizon._

 _"So beautiful," she grinned, and readjusted her hat._

 _Finally, her mother came out the door and stood beside her. She had the same ember-kissed hair as her and brown eyes, and she too was wearing a colourful sundress._

 _They held hands and strolled down the sandy path to the beach. The sun was harsh and the little girl had to pull the hat farther down her face to avoid its blinding rays. After a while, she let go of her mother's hand and ran down the path. The wind tore through her hair and sent it billowing back like a flame. She held her hat in place as she ran, but didn't notice the giant rock in her way that tripped her up._

 _She fell face-first in the dust and yelped. Her hat went flying down the path and she groaned as she sat up. Her mother didn't come running, in fact she was gone._

 _"Mommy?"_

 _She got up and looked behind her. There wasn't another person in sight._

 _"Mommy?" she called again in fright, "Where are you?"_

 _As she turned to look down the path, her eyes widened at the sight of a large_ wolf _standing at the bottom._

 _Her hat was at its feet and she shivered. It's fur was tawny brown and its eyes were like sapphires. It stared at her, seemingly waiting, and she felt a wave of fear spilling into her chest and filling her with an overwhelming sense of loneliness._


	7. Say goodbye

**Sorry it's taken so long for me to upload this chapter! Luckily it's a relatively lengthy one! I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven - Say goodbye**

 _Okay. It's now or never._

Tomoyo quickly scanned the area for any signs of movement.

None.

She took a deep breath, slowly sat up, and wriggled out of Hakkaku's arms. Steadying her breathing, she jumped over the two men and ran for the exit. Thankfully, it wasn't blocked, since everyone was fast asleep. She was curious as to where Koga was but was equally grateful that he wasn't there. Her attention was drawn back to the snoring pair. For some reason, she felt a slight tinge of guilt for leaving them without saying goodbye.

"I'm sorry. Yuki needs me." she sighed, as she ran out of the darkness and into the broad daylight.

In the snowy mountains, a lone grave sat frozen in the bitter coldness.

Koga dropped to his knees and laid down a bunch of chrysanthemums on top of it. He wore a sorrowful expression, and rested his head in his hands. His eyes prickled and he could feel the tears building up behind his eyelids.

It was over now. It was too late. He had failed her.

He didn't deserve her.

He had just watched as she stood there, trapped and afraid. He had tried. But all he could do was watch as she burned, and fell into ashes.

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as memories he tried to forget resurfaced.

It was too late now.

"Ginta!" Hakkaku shouted as he ran around the cave like a crazy dog.

Ginta yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes. "What? I was sleeping, y'know."

"Tomoyo and Koga are missing!"

"Eh?!" Ginta jumped up, completely ignoring how tired he was, "You don't think…?"

They both sweat dropped.

"He ate her?!"

Right on cue, Koga strolled into the cave, a wild boar thrown over his shoulder. "Yo, guys. I caught a…" He looked up at his friends shocked expressions. "… What is it?"

They cleared their throats and stuttered, "W-Where's Tomoyo?"

"Hmm… what?" Koga cocked his eyebrow and threw the boar onto the cold, hard floor.

"You didn't... eat her? Did you?" Ginta murmured.

Koga stared at the pair in confusion.

" _Eat_ her? Wait. Are you saying that the redhead is gone?"

"Well—um—yes." they replied, avoiding his burning gaze.

Koga sighed and turned towards the exit in anger.

"Koga! Where are you going?"

"To find her. Where else would I be going?"

"You're actually going after her?" Ginta smiled gleefully, and started following his companion.

"Obviously," Koga grunted, "She took the damn stone with her."

"Oh… But, y'know, it does belong to her, so…"

Koga stopped and snarled. "That stone is the reason all this happened! It's to blame! It's why… why… _she_ isn't here anymore… It's all that stone's fault."

The cave was engulfed in silence.

Breaking it, Koga walked forward and called one of the wolves over. "Everyone split up and find her," And then he ran, following the young girl's scent.

 _How many hours has it been? Five? Will I lose daylight soon?_

Tomoyo stressed as she pushed on through the heavy snow. Thankfully, she had stolen one of the furs from the cave, therefore her arms were no longer completely bare. However, she had lost one of her shoes a few miles back. This made it slightly more difficult to run since her feet were absolutely freezing.

Her eyes widened with a sudden burst of hope. What was that, up ahead?

Was it… her way home?

Finally, she could see her sister. However, thinking about that only made her worry for Yuki's safety more.

She had to hurry.

Tomoyo grabbed the door handles and pulled herself out of the snow and into the warmth of the wardrobe. But then she turned around and came face to face with someone familiar.

"Where the hell is that stupid woman?" Koga snapped to no one in particular.

The wolf by his side rolled its eyes at its master's short-temper.

Koga sliced a tree in half and threw it across the field, when suddenly, something caught his attention. It was small, but it was there.

A scent.

"Tomoyo, where are you going?" Hakkaku asked, sadly.

"Look… I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, but I had to. I couldn't risk it."

He looked down to the ground and lightly kicked some snow.

Finally, Koga found her. She was with someone. He looked past the tree but stopped when he saw Hakkaku.

"She needs me," Tomoyo whispered.

"Who does?" Hakkaku asked.

"My sister. She's all alone with… with him."

"Who?"

She sighed. "Ren. Our brother."

"What's wrong with her being alone with her brother?"

"Because… he doesn't have a great temper."

"Neither does Koga."

Koga cursed him under his breath.

He would get him back for that.

"No. Not like that. He… breaks things."

"So does Koga!"

"He hurts me! Okay? … He hurts me."

"… What do you mean?"

She dropped to the floor and covered her face with her hands. "He… He…"

Tears rolled down her cheeks and down onto the cold snow. Hakkaku's eyes opened wide in shock and he sat down next to her. "Hey, don't cry," He wiped one of the tears from her face, causing her to glance up at his smiling face.

Koga looked away. Why was it pissing him off? Why did he want to pull them away from each other?

Why did he want to swap places with Hakkaku?

"Why am I still stood behind this goddamn tree?" he muttered to himself.

"He hits me… when he's angry," she carried on, "And I'm scared that if I'm not there, he'll take his rage out on her instead."

"I understand." Hakkaku grabbed her hand and pulled her up. "Now quickly, go before Koga gets here."

 _Too late,_ Koga thought, resting his back against the tree.

"Thank you, Hakkaku," she smiled, and then hugged him. He blushed but hugged her back, inhaling her unusual yet gorgeous scent.

Koga's snarled loudly.

She eventually released him and went further into the wardrobe, closing the door behind her. Hakkaku then placed his forehead on the door and sighed deeply. "What am I doing?" he muttered to himself.

"I was about to ask you the exact same thing."

Hakkaku turned and came face to face with a very furious youkai.

* * *

 **Is a romance blossoming? Review!**


	8. Home Sweet Home

**Chapter Eight - Home Sweet Home**

 _Tomoyo... Tomoyo._

 _Wake up._

Her eyes flew open and her breathing increased rapidly. Tomoyo scanned the small space of the wardrobe and a sudden realisation befell her.

The once empty wardrobe was suddenly filled with random junk.

Just like the old woman's she had wandered into.

She sat up and dusted herself off, then pushed the door open slightly and peeked through the hole. There she was. The old woman that had tried to push her into her oven was slowly rocking back and forth in a chunky rocking chair. Gritting her teeth, Tomoyo slowly pushed the doors open, praying it wouldn't creak.

Thankfully, the odds were in her favour.

Sweat dripped down her face as she carefully stepped out of the wardrobe and out onto the cold, stone ground. Now for the difficult part: getting past the witch. She tiptoed over to the door and held her breath... Almost there... Just a little bit...

" _You_!"

Oh no.

Tomoyo almost leapt out of her skin at the sound of her voice.

She wasted no time and ran for the door handle to swing it open.

"Get back here, little girl! Have some cookies!" the woman shouted as she grabbed a broom and ran after Tomoyo.

Luckily, Tomoyo was faster so it wasn't difficult to lose the old hag. She paused for a couple of seconds to catch her breath, resting her hands on her legs and panting.

She was almost home.

 _Please be safe. Please don't be hurt,_ she prayed as she reached the final stretch. Her home was still standing, which was a good sign, but it was what was inside that really counted. She finally reached the door and pushed it. It was open, which was _not_ a good sign. She walked inside and was welcomed by broken glass bottles scattered across the floor like the snow on the ground from the world beyond the wardrobe.

"YUKI?!" she screamed.

There was silence for a while before finally...

"Tomoyo!" a timid voice cried out weakly.

Pulling open every cupboard, Tomoyo finally located her sister and scooped her up into her arms, hugging her tightly. "Are you okay?" she asked, checking her for cuts and scratches.

"I-I'm okay... But, onee-san... Where were you? I was scared."

"I," Tomoyo stuttered, "It's hard to explain."

A loud _crash!_ echoed from somewhere in the house, startling them both and prompting Yuki to shoot farther into her chest. Tomoyo lifted her gaze to the top of the stairs and felt her heart sink.

"... Ren," she whispered, holding Yuki tighter.

"Well, look who we've got here," Ren drawled as he stumbled down the stairs, a bottle of half drunk whiskey in his hand.

She wasn't going to back down to him now.

"Drinking already and it's not even noon yet," she sighed, standing up and urging Yuki behind her.

"I'll drink whenever I want."

"No, you don't. You have a family to take care of. It's time to pull yourself together!"

He thrust the bottle at the wall behind her, smashing it into tiny little pieces and sprays of dark brown.

It only just dodged her face.

"You do not talk to me like that!" he yelled, and he lifted his hand to strike but was stopped by another, strong fist.

"Really now," a familiar face hummed, "Is that any way to talk to a lady?"

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"Koga!" Hakkaku yelped, "How long have you been standing there?"

He prayed to the gods that Koga didn't see Tomoyo go through the wardrobe.

"Long enough to see you betray me."

"... Betray you?"

"Damn right. You let little red get away."

"Oh... So you saw that."

"Yeah. And I also heard that talk the two of ya had. What, are you falling for a stupid mortal now?"

"What is wrong with _you_!? Stop pretending you were never in love Kagome, who, guess what, is also a stupid mortal."

" _Was_. She _was_ a stupid mortal."

"See?" Hakkaku growled, "You go crazy at anyone even saying her name! What happened to you—to _us_?! Kagome made us better people and now... Look at us. We've gone back to killing and eating humans, and now you're terrorising a young girl just because she reminds you too much of her!"

" _Kagome is dead_!"

The cry demanded silence.

"I couldn't... I couldn't save her. You couldn't and neither could that _stupid_ mutt!"

Koga slammed his fist into the doors of the wardrobe, cracking the wood.

"I know she's dead!" Hakkaku fell to his knees as the memories resurfaced, "I was there, all of us were there!"

 ***Flashback***

" _Kagome!" Inuyasha howled, reaching for his wife's hand._

" _Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed back and reached out towards him._

 _Those were the last words the two ever exchanged, for the next dark moments marked themselves into everyone's memories forever. The flames. Dancing embers everywhere. Before anyone could get to her, they swallowed her body and purged the life out of her._

 _Inuyasha darted into the fire, uncaring of his own fate, and pulled her out of their scorching embrace_

 _He laid her down on the ground and lightly caressed her ruined face._

" _Kagome? Kagome? Please… don't leave me. I need you."_

 _When she failed to stir, tears started blossoming behind his eyes. He shook her, then again, and again, and again._

 _She remained still with every shake._

 _The rest of the fellowship came running from the battlefield. Sango, Shippo, Koga, Hakkaku, Ginta, Sesshomaru, Rin, and Jaken, slowed to a stop at the terrible sight laid before them. So many lost already. So many of them fallen._

" _Kagome!" Inuyasha tried one more helpless whimper bevidence sinking down into her ribs and sobbing. His shakes were seared into the memories of everyone who saw, but even as he drowned her body with his tears, there was still an essence about him that suggested he hadn't fully accepted it._

 _Because how could he accept the death of his most, and only precious thing?_

 _Everything was swarmed by a burning sensation, consumed by a sense of hopelessness. Kagome. Kagome couldn't be gone. She was supposed to be invincible. She had the power of the Shikon no tama. She was supposed to survive_

 _Koga's first real love... was dead._

 _And he couldn't be there for her final painful moments. Every ounce of existence drained from inside him and made him feel hollow, and the only remaining feeling was rage. And one ferocious, soul-demanding certainty._

 _That was no ordinary fire._

 ***End of flashback***

"I'm going." Koga spat, opening the now almost broken wardrobe doors.

"What?" Hakkaku spluttered, blinking away his growing tears.

"You're right. This isn't who I am. I'm... gonna go apologise. That's what Kagome would want."

He stepped inside and closed the doors behind him.

"I'm sorry, Hakkaku."

Hakkaku smiled faintly.

"I forgive you."

After a moment of soul blindness, Koga's eyes flickered open and he took in his surroundings. The once empty wardrobe was now filled with strange objects. _Weird_. He climbed out and smelled the air. A disgusting stench invaded his nostrils.

He kicked the doors down and jumped out.

"What the…?" he stuttered.

He was in some kind of strange little house.

A house he had never seen before.

Meaning... The wardrobe was some kind of magical doorway.

His eyes widened in amazement as he enjoyed the interesting sight before him. It was like nothing he had ever seen before.

"Who are you?!" a hoarse voice abruptly screamed into his ear.

He leapt back in initial shock, then steeled himself and squeezed his fists. "You're a demon!" he yelled, baring his claws.

She studied him. "You are also a demon."

"Well, you haven't happened to see a young woman with unusually bright red hair?"

"Oh, that girl. I've tried to catch her many times but she has escaped me twice. I just want to taste her delicious looking flesh—ARHGH."

He punched a hole through her stomach, leaving her dead on the ground.

He growled under his breath as he stepped over her and left the little house. His nostrils flared as he tried to locate a trace of her scent. It was proving quite difficult because of all the strange new smells that surrounded him.

However, he would always be able to find her unique scent.

"There it is."

He ran in the direction of her scent, all the while admiring the beautiful scenery before him. He was definitely coming here again to explore the new surroundings.

Finally, he reached a tall wooden building which he presumed to be her home. He heard loud shouts coming from inside, and thought he should probably hurry up and find her.

A loud crash echoed throughout the halls and he went running in at the speed of lightning. He looked around and saw Tomoyo and two other people who looked uncannily like her. It looked as though they were shouting at each other, and with his senses he could hear exactly what they were saying.

The man, Ren, if he remembered correctly, lifted his hand as if to strike to her.

Not on his watch!

He shot between them and stopped him with his fist.

"Really now, is that any way to talk to a lady?"

Not hesitating, he punched the man square in the face, knocking him unconscious.

"Koga?" Tomoyo gasped, baffled as to how he had gotten here.

"Hey, red. You okay?"

He grinned and held his hand out to her.

She smiled at him and took his hand.

"Wait. Are you still trying to eat me?"

"Uh, no. I had a little talk with an angry wolf and it made me realise the mistakes I've been makin'. I shouldn't'a treated you the way I did... I'm sorry."

She looked at him carefully and poked his cheek. "Hello? Have you seen Koga? I seem to have misplaced him."

"Hey! I'm serious, don't mock me."

"I know, I know." She hit one of his shoulders playfully, "I forgive you."

"You do?"

"Yes. You're not really a bad guy, are you?"

"Um... Who are you?" Yuki interrupted shyly.

Tomoyo smiled wrapped her arms around her little sister. "This is Koga," she introduced him, "He's a friend of mine."

"Nice to meet ya," he bent down on his knees and held his hand out to her.

"N-Nice to meet you," she stammered, shaking his hand, but her attention was instantly drawn to his pointy ears. "Your ears!" she exclaimed, reaching to grab them.

"OW!" he shrieked.

"They're so sharp! And real. Are you an elf? You look like an elf."

"An elf in a skirt," Tomoyo added with a grin.

Koga escaped Yuki's grasp and frowned at Tomoyo. "I can't believe you—" he started, but stopped as his eyes were drawn to her injured wrists.

He lifted them closer and held them in his hands.

Tiny droplets of blood painted them like canvases.

"Oh," She looked at them and laughed nervously. "Oops. They must have re-opened. Don't worry about it, I'm fine."

"... I did this." he sighed and rested his forehead against her wrist, "I'm so sorry."

She blushed as red as her hair and pulled her hands away. "I said don't worry about it, it's fine!"

"No, it's not."

She looked down and studied the wounds. Ren's unconscious body caught her eye behind him and she swallowed.

"You apologised," she whispered, "That proves to me that you deserve to be forgiven."

His eyes widened, as if he was remembering something.

Once he'd recovered from whatever mental drawback he'd had, he held her wrist up to his lips and quickly licked the blood away. Tomoyo and Yuki both blushed and looked away awkwardly.

"W-What are you doing, you freak?!"

He gently the now healed wound, his youkai saliva possessing healing properties beyond any human medicine. "I healed it."

She looked at her wrists and her eyes widened in shock.

"What?" she blinked and Yuki scurried over to inspect her hand. "Wow... Thank you—"

A sudden burst of energy tore through her chest. A bright red light blinded the three of them, and Tomoyo slowly opened her eyes to see the fire stone floating in the middle of the room.

"What the?" she whispered, when a voice called her name.

 _Tomoyo._

 _It's time._


	9. The Explanation

**Chapter Nine - The Explanation**

"Who are you…?" Tomoyo asked.

"My name is Himika, and I am a phoenix." the stone replied.

"You're a phoenix? You look like a talking rock to me." Tomoyo muttered under her breath.

"I am the heart and soul. I was ripped out of my body and stored in a stone by the Crimson Malice."

"Who in the hell are the Crimson Malice?" Koga spat.

"An evil group of humans who wanted power by forcing others to suffer. They hunted me down to use my ability to reach the Gods." Himika explained.

"The Gods?" Tomoyo said intrigued.

"Yes. Myself and a dragon, Ryu, could create a portal to the Gods. Thankfully, he escaped therefore the Crimson Malice have not been able to reach them."

"Where did he go?" Yuki asked timidly.

"I do not know where he is. However, there is a way to find him and that's where I need you."

"Us?" Tomoyo cocked her head.

"Yes. Ryu left me clues so I could find him."

"What kind of clues?" Koga asked.

"He sent me a vision of five things: a well, a wardrobe, a shrine, a fountain and a tunnel. Together, they are the divine instruments. A demon and human must go to each of these places and activate them, this will create a map to the place where Ryu is hiding. I need you to find him and protect him." Himika explained.

"How will we protect him?" Tomoyo asked.

"In order to not be found he had to seal himself away in a midnight stone. You need to break the seal."

"What about you?" Koga asked, "once we've found him the Crimson Malice are sure to as well."

"That's the second favour." Himika said.

Two favours! As if one isn't hard enough. Tomoyo thought internally screaming.

"I need you to defeat the Crimson Malice and return me to my original body."

Tomoyo looked up in shock, "why does it have to be us?"

"Because you, Tomoyo are a descendant of the phoenix clan."

"What?" Tomoyo almost-shouted.

"You're the only one I can trust. And you, Koga, you will help her."

"Why me?"

"Because this whole situation caused the death of your friend, Kagome."

Tomoyo and Koga's eyes widened in horror.

"No… Kagome died because she was so ill—her parents told me themselves." Tomoyo said, holding back the tears.

"What?" Koga asked and looked at her, "they told you that?"

"Yes it happened a few months ago there was a funeral—"

"They lied." Himika finally spoke.

Tomoyo's eyes prickled and started watering, "No… I've known their family for years why would they lie."

"Because the truth was too horrific." Himika explained.

"Horrific? Koga do you know what happened." Tomoyo asked the tears falling down her cheeks now.

There was a long silence.

"—I was there…"

"Tell me, please I need to know the truth." she sobbed.

"It was at the ceremony of Kagome and Inuyasha's marriage. A group of men ambushed us and said they needed the Phoenix Priestess. They didn't tell us why they just told us to hand her over."

"Who's the Phoenix Priestess?"

"We didn't know, but they didn't believe us. They felt Kagome's priestess powers and presumed that she was who they were looking for. We tried to protect her, we did—" his voice cracked and he took deep breaths.

Tomoyo took his hand and stroked it comfortingly.

"There was so many of them and we all got seperated. I was with a man named, Miroku. He gave his life in order to save me and that is a debt I will never be able to repay. I heard Kagome screaming Inuyasha's name and so I followed it. She was tied to a tall tree and Inuyasha was pinned to the ground." he continued.

"I ran. I ran as fast as I could. But it was too late. Flames erupted on her body and their deafening screams carved themselves into my memories. I will never forget that day."

Yuki hugged her sister as tears dripped down her face.

No. Kagome. Tomoyo's other half. Her best friend. The girl who cared for her stood by her after her parents tragedy. Sweet Kags. Was gone forever.

"No." Tomoyo cried and buried her face in her hands.

"Do you understand now. The Crimson Malice will not rest until they hunt down and kill every single priestess." Himika explained, "I beg of you, help me."

Koga looked over at Tomoyo and wiped a tear away, "Lets do it."

She looked up, "What?"

"We need revenge and the only way to get it is to complete the mission and destroy the Crimson Malice." Koga told her.

"What did they tell her parents?" Tomoyo whispered.

"What?"

"What did you tell them?" she repeated.

"I don't know. Why? Are her parents here?" he asked.

"They're about 10 miles east."

"Let's go tell them everything." Koga said


End file.
